Princess Protection Program
Princess Protection Program is a 2009 Disney Channel Original Movie that premiered on June 26, 2009 in the United States and winner of the Teen Choice Awards 2009 for Choice Summer TV Show. It stars best friends Selena Gomez and Demi Lovato. Plot Carter Mason's (Selena Gomez) father Major Joe Mason (a Princess Protection Program agent) goes overseas, where Princess Rosalinda Maria Montoya Fiore (Demi Lovato) is about to be crowned queen of the small nation of Costa Luna. General Kane (Johnny Ray Rodriguez), the dictator of neighboring country Costa Estrella, invades her palace with his agents during her coronation rehearsal, and attempts to capture the royal family and take over the country. Joe Mason (Tom Verica), an agent of the Princess Protection Program, a secret organization funded by royal families that looks after endangered princesses, whisks her away to safety via helicopter. Kane’s agents, however, succeed in capturing her mother, Queen Sophia. The Princess Protection Program hides Rosalinda in Mason’s home in Louisiana, where she is to masquerade as a typical American teenager named Rosie Gonzalez. She meets Mason's daughter, Carter Mason, an insecure tomboy who works at the family bait shop and dreams of going to the homecoming dance with her crush, Donny (Robert Adamson). Though Carter initially treats Rosie with barely masked hostility, she warms up to her after Rosie explains her situation, and the two become best friends. Carter teaches Rosie to act like a typical American teenager, and Rosie shows Carter how to disarm those that scorn them (especially resident mean girls Chelsea and Brooke by behaving as a true princess. Rosie soon becomes popular at their high school. In an attempt to trick Rosie into exposing her location, General Kane announces plans to forcibly marry Rosie’s mother. Rosie is distraught and tells Carter that she has decided to secretly return home. Knowing Costa Luna is still too dangerous, Carter secretly devises a plan to pose as Rosie and then use herself as bait to lure Kane into capture. Mr. Elegante, Rosie's royal dress maker, tells Kane that Rosie will be attending the homecoming dance and will be wearing a blue dress that he actually sends to Carter. In the meantime, Rosie agrees to help Carter behave like a princess by helping a group of girls dress up for the dance; the girls all wear masks, which helps Carter disguise herself as Rosie. According to plan, Kane and his agents mistake Carter for Rosie and lead her to Kane's helicopter the night of the dance. However, after winning the homecoming princess title, and dedicates it to Carter, Rosie narrowly discovers and ruins the plan by exposing herself to Kane, insisting that this is not Carter's fight. Fortunately, agents of the Princess Protection Program, including Mr. Mason, have been waiting inside the helicopter and rescue both girls. The PPP agents quickly apprehend Kane and his henchmen and turn them over to the international authorities. Rosie is crowned Queen of Costa Luna with Carter, Mason, Ed, Rosie's mother, and Mr. Elegante in attendance. At the end (1 year later) it is shown that Carter and Rosie are PPP agents. Cast *Selena Gomez as Carter Mason *Demi Lovato as Princess Rosalinda Marie Montoya "Rose" Fioré *Tom Verica as Major Joe Mason *Sully Diaz as Queen Sophia Fioré *Johnny Ray Rodríguez as General Magnus Kane *Jamie Chung as Chelsea Barnes *Nicholas Braun as Edwin "Ed" *Robert Adamson as Donny *Samantha Droke as Brooke Angels *Kevin G. Schmidt as Bull *Talia Rothenberg as Margaret *Molly Hagan as The Director *Dale Dickey as Helen Digenerstet *Ricardo Alvarez as Mr. Elegante *Brian Tester as Principal Burkle *Madison De La Garza as Girl Release Laura Fries of Variety magazine describes the film as being "light as a summer breeze on the Louisiana bayou". Although the film does not stray far from the Disney formula, she praises writer Annie DeYoung for providing young girls a nice message about self-esteem. She says the film should be a hit with the channel's target audience. The premiere was watched by 8.5 million viewers, making Disney Channel TV the most-watched network in the time slot, with nearly double the viewers of CBS at that time.